초록
<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Production of fuel ethanol from lignocellulosic feedstocks such as agricultural and forestry residues is receiving increasing attention due to the unsustainable supply of fossil fuels. Three key challenges include high cellulase production cost, toxicity of the cellulosic hydrolysate to microbial strains, and poor ability of fermenting microorganisms to utilize certain fermentable sugars in the hydrolysate. In this article, studies on searching of natural microbial strains for production of unique cellulase for biorefinery of agricultural and forestry wastes, as well as development of strains for improved cellulase production were reviewed. In addition, progress in the construction of yeast strains with improved stress tolerance and the capability to fully utilize xylose and glucose in the cellulosic hydrolysate was also summarized. With the superior microbial strains for high titer cellulase production and efficient utilization of all fermentable sugars in the hydrolysate, economic biofuels production from agricultural residues and forestry wastes can be realized.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Strain selection and development for cellulase production was reviewed. </LI> <LI> The latest progress in development of stress tolerant strains is summarized. </LI> <LI> Advanced technologies to develop xylose utilizing yeast strains are presented. </LI> <LI> Integration of process control and strain engineering was emphasized. </LI> </UL> </P>